


Still We Remain: Oneshots

by beneaththewords



Category: Grand Theft Auto Series (Video Games), Grand Theft Auto V
Genre: Angst, Badass girls, Friendship, GTAV - Freeform, Original Story - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-27
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-11-05 09:15:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11010435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beneaththewords/pseuds/beneaththewords
Summary: A small collection of oneshots between my OC (Sage Pierce) and my friend's OCs based on an upcoming story of ours set in the GTAV universe. Basically just a group of young women with rough pasts coming together to form a badass gang.





	1. I Like It Here

**Author's Note:**

> This is a small snippet of a larger story my friends and I have in the works. This particular piece is a conversation between Sage and Aubrey right outside Sandy Shores after a big rift in Sage's and Michael's relationship. Any feedback based on their characters are welcome.

“I like it here.” Sage said, matter-of-factly.

Her and Aubrey were propped up on the hood of Regina, Aubrey’s trusty steed that was more or less a piece of junk with a coat of fading green paint over it, but it got them to the places they needed to go. They lay with their backs pressed up against the windshield and their legs dangling off of the edge, Aubrey’s feet just barely brushing the sand beneath them. 

Aubrey’s lips pulled into a small smile, and she rolled her head to the side. “That’s surprising, city girl.”

Their gazes were set on the view of the desolate road in front of them and the expanse of desert behind it. It seemed to go on forever, the only evidence of its endpoint was where the setting sky bled into it so many miles away. Every now and again a car would drive by and a dust of sand would cling to it just as close as its shadow did. 

“I didn’t think I’d like the peace and quiet this much.” Sage said softly. “Too much time to think has never been good for me.”

Aubrey turned her head towards Sage and gave her a halfhearted smile. Sage returned it because she knew Aubrey understood exactly what she meant underneath that one statement. 

“I’ve been starting to find it easier, though- at least out here.” Sage seemed to be taking in the scenery around her as she scanned the sky. Stars were just barely visible then, but the moon was still nowhere to be seen. “I used to never understand how you could like being so isolated out here, but I think I get it now.” Sage was starting to learn that being alone didn’t mean that she ever truly was. 

“You’ve been thinking on it a lot, haven’t you?” Aubrey asked, but she already knew the answer. 

“It’s all I think about now. It changed everything between us, Aubs.” Sage’s voice held a desperation that could only convey a partial glimpse of her sad reality. 

“Did you not hear him say he forgave you?” 

Sage gave her an incredulous look. “Those words meant shit, Aubrey. Don’t you see the way he acts around me, the way he _looks_ at me? He treats me like I’m a stranger to him when the only thing that was ever ungenuine was my name.”

No words were exchanged for a few minutes and the pause wasn’t awkward or tense, just empty. Sage could relate. 

“I know we’ve never mentioned it out loud, but you and I both know that Michael and I- we had something good. We had something that was real.” Sage’s voice sounded on the verge of breaking and she took a moment before she went on. “No other man has ever treated me the way he has, with so much respect. I don’t think he knows how much I appreciate that.”

Aubrey let her go on, knowing just how much she needed to say what she’d bottled up for so long. At one point she grabbed Sage’s hand and gave it a squeeze just to let her know she was listening.

“I know you can’t change your past, Aubrey, I _know_ , but I can’t help but think if only I was honest from the get-go. I was such a coward then.” Sage snorted, but it was tinged with bitterness. “I’ve always been good at that shit- running from my problems. Y’know I’m here because he hates this place.” There was a short pause before she went on, “And I guess because you’re here, too, but that’s besides the point.” Sage said this quietly. 

Aubrey cracked a smile. “I do see the way he looks at you, Sage, and I get it.” Aubrey was now looking Sage in the eyes. “You need to know that he’s only acting this way because he feels all of that, too. He just feels betrayed right now.” 

“I was always too caught up with worrying about screwing things up for us, that I don’t think I’ve ever told him how much he means to me.” 

Despite how grim the conversation was, Aubrey couldn’t help but let out a cackle. “He isn’t dead, Sage. You can still tell him these things.”

“Because it’s not as if I haven’t considered doing it a thousand times before.” Sage said dryly, but a smirk was creeping its way up her face. 

“Why don’t you just do it then? I mean, what more do you have to lose now?”

Sage could hear the playfulness in Aubrey’s voice, but she contemplated her words. “You might be right for once, y’know.” Sage sat up now, pulling one of her knees to her chest and leaning her chin against her hand in thought. 

Aubrey looked offended. “Excuse me, I am always right.”

“Telling yourself that doesn’t make it true.” Sage, as always, was playing with fire at this point. 

“Oh yeah? Well who was right when you were reading that map wrong- and who was right when you said sharks don’t eat people, because I know of a kid who got eaten- and who was right when you we-”

“Okay, okay, you’re right a lot of times, how about that?” 

Aubrey gave her a look, but didn’t protest further. 

“Thank you for understanding, Aubrey. I mean it.” Sage gave her a warm smile. 

“I was hurt at first, but only because I wish you’d have told me sooner.”

“I regret that more than I regret not telling Michael.” Sage said seriously. 

“You’re my ride or die, Sage. You knew I couldn’t stay mad at you.” Aubrey gave her a knowing look. 

“Did I really know that?” Sage asked, nothing but trouble in her tone. 

Aubrey deadpanned. “You ruined the moment.”

“I ruin everything.” Sage stated simply. 

“Yeah,” Aubrey laughed, “You do.”

Sage let out her first real one of the night at that. The air was becoming cooler, but it stayed dry as the moon finally appeared, full and bright and so far out of reach. Coyotes sang in the distance and the breeze swept their hair. Sage was sitting next to her best friend and hope was pouring back into her.

Yes, she liked it here.


	2. Of Dead Bodies and Nosy Neighbors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> based on the AU: "You need to stop leaving dead bodies in my kitchen."

The potent smell of bleach accompanied by a hint of iron lingered down the seventh floor of Sage’s apartment building. She had just rounded the corner after ascending a final flight of stairs when the familiar concoction hit her nostrils, causing her to stop in her tracks for a moment as she tried to put her finger on the scent. She tried to reason that maybe her neighbor, Frankie, had got shot in the ass yet again, or that maybe old Ms. Sylvia was doing yet another quarantine-esque cleanout of her apartment, but as Sage got closer to her door, she knew the smell was coming from her apartment and her apartment only. She wanted to kick herself. Instead, however, Sage just clutched the brown grocery bag closer to her chest, her other hand pressing her fingers against her eyelids in an attempt to keep them from rolling into the back of her head. 

“The blonde chick is back.”

Sage nearly dropped her bag, her hand falling from her eyes to clutch at her chest where her heart was beating rapidly. She turned around to see Frankie standing in his doorway across from her. The only thing that adorned his aging body was a fading towel wrapped around his waist that made his beer gut only that much more prominent. She knew her neighbor couldn’t have been more than 35, but he looked ten years older as he stood there. Sage supposed cigarettes will do that to you.

“She brought someone with her,” He informed her, scratching at the stubble that was forming at his jaw. 

“You get a good look at who?” Sage raised her eyebrows. 

Frankie just shrugged. “Not really. She was practically dragging him by the looks of it. Didn’t know people still got that hammered at one in the afternoon.” 

Sage scoffed, “Speak for yourself.” She’d never forget the time she had come home after a meeting with Michael to find him sprawled across her couch, mumbling incoherently that his ex-wife was going to steal all his shit. She had to haul his drunk ass out of her room herself, vowing to never leave her door unlocked again. It wasn’t until after she’d shoved him up against his own door did she remind him he didn’t even have an ex-wife. 

“He reeked, too,” Frankie said, choosing to ignore her comment. “Anyways, I gotta go, I’m pretty sure one of the ladies down at the bar thinks her kid is mine. She told me she’d cut my balls off if I didn’t go take a test.”

“Damn,” Sage replied. “Aren’t those tests expensive?”

“Just like everything else in this damn world.” Frankie shook his head. 

“Well, good luck. Hope it ‘ain't yours.” Sage gave him a half smile. 

“Yeah, me too,” He sighed. “Take it easy, Sage.”

“Yeah, well I gotta go take care of this shit.” She gestured towards the door. 

He gave a short laugh, shutting his door. 

Sage turned around, her hand running itself through her hair, causing little strands to fall from her small ponytail and frame her face. She was just putting off the inevitable at this point, not having to second guess what would be behind her door. It wasn’t even locked the way it was when she left and as she pushed the door ajar slightly, her predictions were confirmed. 

“For fuck’s sake.” 

Sage threw her free hand into the air, her face reading nothing more than passive annoyance. Just a mere few feet in front of her was Aubrey, squatting in her kitchen and hovering over a body bag that was partially unzipped, revealing an unconscious man inside. A bucket of suds sat next to her as she haphazardly scrubbed away at the smeared crimson that was then staining her tile. She wore a white tank top that had blood tinting its hem and black shorts that did nothing to stop the red liquid from coming in contact with her legs. Sage could’ve laughed at how she still wore yellow rubber gloves and a surgical mask if the situation had been any different. 

Aubrey stopped mid scrub when she heard Sage, looking like a deer in headlights. “I can explain.” She got out quickly, her voice muffled by the blue mask. 

“Haven’t heard that one before,” Sage retorted sarcastically as she set her groceries on the table to her right. She wanted to be mad, but the longer Aubrey stared at her wide eyed the more comical the situation got. 

“Aubs,” Sage started, placing a fist against her hip, “You’ve really gotta stop leaving dead bodies in my kitchen.”

“Where else am I supposed to put them?” Aubrey asked with a humor to her voice, running the back of her hand across her forehead. 

“Anywhere but my kitchen!” Sage bit back. “Can’t you just - I don’t know, throw him in a dumpster or something?” 

“No, I can’t just dump him into a dumpster.” Aubrey rolled her eyes, resuming her scrubbing. She pinched the man’s sleeve, tossing his arm over his torso and pulled the bag around him more. 

“Then go drop him off someplace in Sandy Shores. Nobody’ll care if you toss him out there.” Sage shook her head, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from her grocery bag. “My apartment ain’t a storage unit for the dead, y’know.” She unwrapped the pack, sticking one between her teeth. “Frankie was right, this place smells like shit.” 

“I can’t get rid of this body. It’ll come in handy later.”

“Tell me you weren’t the one who killed him.” Sage pulled her lighter from her back pocket.

Aubrey gave her a look. “Course I wasn’t. Trevor took care of that.”

“Yeah, well tell him to take care of the fucking bodies while he’s at it.” Sage said in between lighting her cigarette. “Seriously, one of these days Frankie or some other nosy neighbor of mine is gonna mention something to the cops. How’d you even get passed my landlord anyways?”

“Anthony?” Aubrey shrugged. “I bet he’s seen worse.” She flashed Sage a wicked smile. 

“Oh, so you’re on a first name basis with my landlord? Great.” Sage said dryly. 

“He finds me charming, what can I say?” Aubrey let out a chortle. 

“Yeah, yeah, just hurry up with the cleaning.” Sage stepped closer to the body, peering over it and Aubrey. “Jesus,” She breathed. “He stab him to death? There’s blood all over him.” 

“Didn’t care to look,” Aubrey replied, “It was bad enough I had to drag his ass up here.” 

“I find it hard to believe you did.”

“Yeah, well Trevor’s promised me a big bonus for this. Gotta prove those lost bastards a point.” Aubrey replied in a satisfied tone for someone who was cleaning up after a dead person. 

“Do I get a bonus for storing this ‘point’?” Sage took a huff of the poison that sat between her lips. 

“No,” Aubrey zipped the bag completely closed and stood up. “But I’ll buy you a coffee?” 

Sage thought about it for a minute before huffing out a small groan. 

“Fine - but make it a beer. Or three.”


	3. All In Good Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang heads to Casey's Diner after a tough mission only to end up breaking into a mansion and crashing at Michael's afterwards. Chaos ensues.

A hue of pink cast itself on the vacant sidewalk that ran below the neon sign of Casey’s Diner. The lone A flickered every few minutes, acting as the only movement on its street aside from the orange cat that often lurked around the back entrance for scraps. The moon appeared absent that night, artificial light flourishing in its place all throughout the city. The ground was wet where an earlier shower made the concrete slick and reflective, and Sage could see the blue letters of the word “open” ripple in a puddle at her feet.

She pulled her black hood closer around her face, a slight chill to the air sending a shiver down her spine. The keys to her motorcycle jiggled in her pocket as she walked and she took a glance at the sky to make sure no more rain was in sight. Pulling open the door, a wave of cold air conditioning bit at her face and the aroma of homemade food hit not long after, making her heart ache for another time for just a moment.

Betty was at the counter, as she was most nights, and her hair was pulled back into a high bun with the remnants of her eyeliner smeared around face; It was a telltale sign of the long shift she’d been enduring for God knows how long. A customer Sage didn’t recognize sat at the middle stool, pouring the contents of a flask into his mug while Betty pretended not to notice. When she caught eye of Sage, her lips quirked into a small smirk, her head tilting to her right as a helpful suggestion. Sage, however, didn’t need that act of direction nor did she need to hear the loud laugh of Nicky to know where her group of friends would be sitting.

Sage looked to her left to their acclaimed booth, Alex and Aubrey shoved into one side and Kylie and Nicky in the other. They seemed to be in mid conversation, none of them seeming to notice her arrival yet. She could tell they had already been stuffing their faces with the greasy goodness of the diner’s burgers and fries, a milkshake sat in front of each of them. She was glad they went ahead and ate, having been a lot later than she intended. Checking her phone she saw that it was just past midnight and she figured a burst of energy could do her some good if her friends were to be out all night, much like they usually were after completing missions such as this.

“A coffee, if you don’t mind?” Sage stepped forward, leaning over the shiny counter that Betty was wiping down. She nodded, pouring her a cup from the pot and scooping up a handful of creamers. Sage thanked her and dug her back pocket for a few quarters.

“Well, look who decided to show up!” She heard Aubrey from behind her. She clutched her mug close, the hot liquid warming her cold hands as she stepped towards the occupied table.

“What’s the excuse this time, huh? Traffic?” Alex asked. She didn’t look up from her phone as she said this, but her voice was laced with sarcasm. 

Aubrey scoffed. “Knowing this one, she probably paid Michael a visit for some of her much adored praise.”

Sage just rolled her eyes, muttering a “scoot” to Nicky and Kylie so that she could squeeze in onto the edge of the booth. She stole one of Nicky’s fries, flinching when it grazed a cut on her lip. She wasn’t the only one adorned in cuts and scrapes, a purple bruise forming underneath Aubrey’s left eye and a small bandage taped to a gash that Sage knew was on Alex’s forehead. Sage could feel a slight pain in her hip where she’d be thrown from her bike for the fiftieth time since she’d gotten it, but she didn’t dare tell Michael. He already saw the thing as a deathtrap as it was.

The truth was that Sage did pay a visit to Michael afterwards, sharing a quick beer with him to celebrate another one of their victories, albeit how small it was. It was a routine mission, one the group had done dozens of times before, only this time with a bit more heat. They were just raiding a small gang located on the edge of Grapeseed of their smuggled goods, stealth their preferred method of the night. Unfortunately, all it took was a fucking scorpion to crawl up Kylie’s leg to make their entire plan suddenly go very south as result of the high-pitched shrill that promptly left her mouth. Needless to say, the crew’s cover was immediately blown and the entire mission went from quick and easy to life-threatening in the blink of an eye.

In the end, the girls still finished their job, just with a few more injuries than what they bargained for. And somehow, like always, they ended up together at Casey’s Diner in more or less one piece.

“Did Lester say when he’d wire us the money?” Sage asked, scanning over one of the menus in front of her to see what the day’s specials were. She knew it’d probably be too late to order anything other than a standard breakfast, however.

“Within the next few days,” Alex replied, “I swear that man just won’t shut up sometimes.”

“I figured you’d be used to it after so long.” Kylie stated, using her straw to pick at the whipped cream off of her milkshake.

Alex let out a snort. “Trust me, there’s no getting used to that man.”

“Aw, Lester isn’t so bad.” Aubrey interjected, although her voice was painted with humor.

“Yeah, okay.” Sage said, clearly not convinced. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Lester, but he always put her on edge. She knew the kind of information he could dig up on people and she was constantly afraid of the things he’d uncover about her.

“I might’ve put a few laxatives inside his coffee this morning.” Nicky said, a devilish grin gracing her features.

Sage nearly choked on her coffee and Aubrey let out a bark of a laugh at that.

“It’s no wonder he isn’t fond of you.” Alex said, shaking her head at Nicky.

“I could do worse.” She shrugged.

This was how the girls settled into comfortable conversations most nights, their minds so past the point of exhaustion that an eccentric hysteria would soon start creeping into their veins. They’d get antsier by the minute, their howls of laughter drowning out the silence of the emptying diner. Some nights they’d stay in their seats until sunrise, even after the workers had swapped shifts. Tonight, however, the group was itching to do something a bit more interesting with whatever leftover energy they carried with them.

It was nearing 2 am when they decided to part ways with their beloved table, making sure to leave a big tip for Betty who’d be there for another few hours at least. They all walked out as a bunch, Aubrey heading around the building towards Regina with the other three girls in tow while Sage hopped on her bike. Her headlights illuminated the street in front of her and Radio Mirror Park played quietly as she waited for the other girls.

When Aubrey pulled around front, the windows halfway rolled down and the girls already chatting away, Sage gave her kickstand a quick hit and rolled up beside them.

“Where to?”

Aubrey had a thoughtful look on her face, but Sage knew there was more mischief behind it than anything else. “I have a place in mind,” She shouted over the hum of Regina, “Head towards Vinewood!”

Sage gave a salute with her two fingers, pulling the visor of her helmet down before taking off in front of her friends. She turned her radio up and kept a nice pace, Aubrey driving only a few feet behind her. She could hear her friends hollering loudly, their own music playing in the background and their excitement was starting to channel into her. They felt electric as they drove through mirror park, as if there was a current running through their bodies, connecting them. Sage felt untouchable, her newfound freedom breaking the shackles of her past and dissipating the fear from her secrets, if even just for a night.

Somewhere along the way Aubrey took lead and Sage followed, curving along the twisting roads of Vinewood until the city was lit up in their shadows. Sage stopped about halfway up the road, taking her helmet off and shaking her black hair off of her face to admire the view before her; You could see just about everything from where she sat perched on her bike at the dirt road’s edge. This was one of those moments where everything finally felt real to Sage. She was there, in Los Santos, miles from her home and the horror she left behind. She found people she felt close to - _actually_ close to, and even if they didn’t know everything about her, they knew enough. She couldn’t say she was truly happy yet, but she was something very close to it.

After a minute passed and Aubrey noticed Sage’s absence in her rearview mirror, she gave her car a few honks, slowing down until she saw Sage reappear around the bend. Nicky pulled herself out of her seat, sitting on the edge of the of the door where the window once was, letting out a scream into the night. The tips of her pink hair blew wildly around her face, and Sage could see a cigarette sitting between Aubrey’s fingers as her arm dangled against the metallic green. Sage hadn’t bothered to put her helmet back on, hooking it onto her handle bars and instead relishing in the wind kissing her cheeks.

They drove like that for a while more, until they were closer to Rockford Hills and Michael’s neighborhood. She followed closely as Aubrey lead them further up, the Vinewood sign peering through the cracks of houses every so often until they arrived at what Sage could only assume was their destination. Aubrey pulled over to the side of the narrow street, parking her car while Sage did the same at her rear.

“What are we doing here?” She yelled across to Aubrey, dismounting her motorcycle and walking towards her as the others all hopped out. Nicky nearly fell backwards, trying to get her foot out of the car where she’d tried climbing out of the window, and it took all Sage could muster not to laugh.

“Aubrey.” Alex said curtly, giving her a skeptical look.

Aubrey just waved her off, putting her hands on her hips as her gaze shifted to the row of houses they all stood before. “There.” She stated soundly, pointing her finger to a house a few yards away.

She started jogging towards it, slowing down the closer she got before coming to crouch against its half wall fence, the trim of the flannel shirt that was tied around her waist just brushing the concrete. The house itself was beautiful, a white painted exterior with two large garage doors and a curving path that lead to a single front door. A lone tree sat in the middle of what little yard was flooded by light coming from the ground lanterns and by the looks of it, the place was vacated.

“What are we doing here?” Kylie asked as the rest of the bunch came up next to Aubrey.

Aubrey motioned for them to be quiet by bringing a finger to her lips as she started walking forward, still bent over as if to stay hidden. She motioned for them to follow, then to stop when she put her hand out behind her.

“Give me a second and stay behind this wall,” She whispered before darting around the corner and towards the front door.

Aubrey took no time ringing the doorbell and giving the door a few bangs before she was back behind the wall in record time. Alex wanted to laugh, feeling much like she did when she was a kid who used to play ding-dong-ditch on her neighbor’s houses. They all sat huddled together for a few moments, waiting in anticipation for someone to answer only to come up empty handed, but nobody appeared even after five minutes had passed. Aubrey took this as a sign that they were in luck, standing up and dusting her hands against her ripped shorts. The rest of the girls followed suit, looking at her expectantly.

“I talked to Michael and Trevor last week about this place,” She started.

“Apparently Lester got word that the family that lives here is away on vacation and their teenage daughter spends most nights away with her boyfriend.”

“And why does Lester know this?” Kylie asked, raising an eyebrow at her dubiously.

Aubrey shook her head, a few pieces of blonde hair falling out of her baseball cap. “Neither of them said. I just know they wanted to raid the place. Michael said it’s got a pretty tightly sealed safe.”

“Are we here to do the job for them?” Sage asked incredulously. They’d finally gotten a short break granted to them for all the work they’d been doing and the last thing Sage wanted to do was spend it doing exactly that.

“Of course not!” Aubrey replied, leading them up the driveway. “I just thought maybe we’d scope the place out for ourselves, relax here for a bit.”

Sage gave her a look.

“Okay, look, these people are filthy rich. Their house is going to be filled with expensive shit and I think we deserve a night to enjoy some of it. You guys are acting like we’ve never done something illegal before.”

“You’re positive that no one is home?” Kylie asked, a tinge of nervousness in her voice.

“No one answered the door, did they?”

Sage glanced at the rest of them before tossing her hands up in defeat. “Lead the way.”

Aubrey winked at her, knowing all along she’d get her way. She led them through the gate to the backyard, which was much larger than its front; a rectangular pool overlooked the city below them and an expanse of green was littered with lounge chairs and pool towels. The curtains that hung inside the house were left open, revealing to them the minimalist furniture and spacious rooms, but the glass door was left locked. A second story balcony caught Alex’s eye, and she yelled for the girls to come boost her up to it, betting it would be unlocked.

With a bit of struggle, Nicky and Sage hoisted Alex up by her foot until she caught hold of the railing, heaving herself over the ledge and straightening out her grey sweater. She took a look down at the girls below her, showing them her crossed fingers before she turned around to try the french doors. She gave the handles a tug, and when they turned all the way, Alex let out shout.

“We are in!” She yelled to them before walking into the bedroom behind the two doors. The place was nicer than she expected: Hardwood floors, a marble spiral staircase, an entire hallway dedicated to photos of the family, and china cabinets filled with glasses that look untouched.

She walked towards the back door, unlocking it and letting in the rest of her friends, each eager to explore the mansion. They flicked on all of the lights as they went, each girl respectively going her own way. It didn’t take Nicky long to find a radio, tuning it until Nonstop Pop blared its upbeat songs throughout the house. Aubrey made a beeline to the minibar, taking in the stash of expensive wines and champagnes it held, until she found the stuff she was looking for. Taking a swig of a bottle of vodka, Aubrey’s face contorted in disgust, but she took a few more sips knowing it would soon do its job.

Sage wandered around upstairs, passing by several open doors that lead to bedrooms, bathrooms, and even what looked to be a movie room, decked out with recliners and a popcorn machine. She was about to enter it when she heard a scream come from outside, followed by a splash. She quickly made her way into a room to her right so that she could peer through the window that overlooked the backyard. She could see Alex bent over as if she were laughing and a blur of brown and purple appear at the surface to reveal a submerged Kylie in the pool.

Wanting to join in on the fun, Sage made her way back downstairs, motioning for Nicky to follow as she caught her snooping in some cabinets. She had pulled her hair into a high ponytail that swung when she turned around, giving Sage a sheepish smile as if she’d been caught in the act of something awful.

“Midnight swim?” Sage asked, a brilliant smile forming on her face.

Nicky hopped down from the counter she was sitting on, nodding as she walked towards the refrigerator to pull out a case of beers before coming to stand next to Sage.

“Aubrey!” Sage shouted, her voice filling up the house. “Get your ass in the backyard with us!”

Aubrey appeared in the archway that lead to the kitchen, an aura of giddiness radiating off of her more than the strong smell of alcohol did. She gave them a goofy smile, sporting an expensive looking fur coat and a pair of pearls that most definitely did not belong to her.

“Good evening, madames.” She said with a faux accent, a giggle breaking her posh demeanor.

“Oh my god.” Sage deadpanned. “Are you tipsy already?” She asked, her expression wavering between amusement and disbelief.

Aubrey just waved her off, “What’s a couple shots?”

Nicky elbowed Sage in the ribs. “I’ll have whatever she’s drinking.”

“Alright, let’s move it, you two.” Sage ushered them out of the house and into the back where Alex had already stripped herself of her leggings and heels, joining Kylie in the water.

Sage was quick to follow, shedding her leather jacket and jeans until she was left in just her tank top and her underwear. Aubrey made a gun with her fingers, pointing it at Sage, feigning fire and Sage fell backwards into the pool as if she’d actually been shot. Aubrey jumped in after her, having removed everything but her underwear and the glittering pearls she stole. Nicky, on the other hand, opted to dive right in without wasting time to take off any of her clothes.

They swam for what felt like ages, alternating between splashing one another profusely to calmly floating on their backs, staring up at the starry sky above. Their conversations were about everything and nothing, voicing their thoughts as they came until they were getting so tired that everything Nicky said caused shrieks of laughter to erupt from them. Eventually they were all just relaxing, content in each other’s presence; Aubrey was halfway passed out on the grass while Kylie and Nicky danced to whatever song was playing on the radio, a beer in each of their hands and water dripping from their hair.

“To think this is where we would end up.” Sage said mostly to herself after a while, but still in earshot of Alex who folded her arms over the edge of the pool where Sage sat with one of her legs dangling in.

“I for one never expected it.” She replied, understanding that Sage didn’t mean just this moment.

“Did you think you’d always live here?” Sage’s gaze was set behind them and onto the twinkling city in the distance.

Alex squinted her eyes as she looked up in thought. “No, not forever. I’d never act upon it, though. Not with my brother in the condition he is right now.”

Sage nodded in understanding.

“Did you think you’d ever end up here?”

“I neve-” Sage started, but stopped when she heard Kylie’s voice.

“Guys, we have company!” She exclaimed, looking to Sage and Alex with wide eyes.

“Ah, shi.,” Sage muttered, standing herself up and helping Alex out of the pool. She came around to the other side where the other three girls were, Aubrey sitting up slowly.

“What is going on?” She drawled, using the back of her palm to rub at her eyes.

Sage could see headlights shining through the gaps in the gate and all it took was the loud slam of a car door to get Aubrey off her ass and on her feet.

“I thought you said she’d be gone all night!” Kylie whispered, panic evident inside her.

“I mean, granted, it _has_ been all night.” Aubrey defended.

“Girls, we don’t have time- we have to go!” Sage rushed to throw her jacket on, not bothering to grab her pants as she pulled her boots on.

Everyone else did the same, rushing to put on whatever articles of clothing they could before hearing the booming voice of a man approaching.

“Who the fuck do you people think you are? I’m gonna fucking kill you!”

They all froze for a minute, each of them glancing at the other as if to ask what they should do before they bolted, making a break for the other end of the yard. They stumbled as they went, scrambling to climb over the fence and into the neighbor’s yard as fast as they could. Their laughter was loud and obnoxious, contrasting with the seriousness of the situation harshly.

“Kristen, call the police!” All five of them were nearly over the metal fence when the man appeared in the backyard, a baseball bat in his hands.

Aubrey was the last to climb over, just about to hop down on the other side when she saw him approaching, laughing at the irony of what he carried. She gave him a wicked smile and blew him a kiss before swinging her other leg over and landing on her feet.

“Thanks for the pearls!” She called out behind her, catching up with the rest of the gang.

They didn’t slow down until they cleared two more yards and were back up the street where their vehicles sat, their hands on their knees, their breathing hard, and their asses hanging out as the majority of them were still clad only in their underwear. If any of the neighbors had awoken from the chaos, they were in for quite the sight as the five of them stood there in the aftermath of their adventure.

Aubrey spun around, flinging her arms out as she twirled in the middle of the road, a hysterical laugh falling from her lips. Soon all of the girls joined in, even Kylie who was still visibly spooked, laughing until their stomachs hurt and the last bit of adrenaline they had wore off.

“One of these days,” Alex said in between pants of breath, “We are going to get ourselves arrested.”

“But not today,” Sage countered, reaching inside her jacket pocket for her keys.

Aubrey did the same, letting Alex take the wheel as she wasn’t quite sober yet.

“Wanna crash at Michael’s?” Sage suddenly asked before the other girls pulled away, knowing that she’d hear it from him later.

Aubrey gave her a knowing look before she climbed into Regina. “Who wouldn’t want five gorgeous girls showing up at their house at 4 am?”

Sage just smiled, pulling her helmet on and taking off in the direction towards Michael’s house, enjoying the cool air against her skin. It only took them a few minutes to reach it, Sage parking her bike outside on the street so he wouldn’t hear the roar of her engine. Aubrey turned her headlights off and pulled up the driveway slowly, once again motioning for the girls to be quiet.

“Breaking into two houses in one night?” Aubrey smirked.

Nicky was carrying Kylie on her back by the time they all reached his front door and Alex was letting out a yawn every other minute. Sage made quick work to find his spare house key, hidden not so secretly under a potted plant before opening the door slowly to reveal a dark house.

They all crept inside, tip toeing to the living room where they all planned to just crash until Michael woke up in a few hours to their unprecedented visit. Within minutes Kylie and Nicky were asleep against each other on the couch and Alex had curled herself up on the chair in the corner of the room. Aubrey found the remote to the tv and turned it on, immediately turning the volume down until it was just barely audible and flicking to a sitcom that caught her attention.

Sage knew she wasn’t going to get much sleep until she was in her own bed, so she made her way across the room to head towards the kitchen for a late night snack. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest when she walked in to find Michael leaning in front of the island with his arms crossed over his chest, a look of tired annoyance on his face just barely visible in the darkness of the room.

“Jesus, Michael, you scared this shit out of me.” Sage breathed, clutching at her chest with her hand.

“ _I_ scared you? You’re the one who broke into my house!” He bit back, but there was no real venom to his voice.

Sage gave him a smile she knew would soften him up. “I’m sorry for showing up so unexpectedly and…early?” Sage peered around him to look at the time showing on the stove. “But it’s been a long night and we just needed a place to crash for a few hours.”

“Where have you even been?” He asked, looking her up and down. Sage’s hair was a wild mess around her face from the pool and she could only imagine how silly she looked wearing everything but a pair of pants at the moment.

Sage just let out a snort, her mind reeling over the past few hours events. “It’s a bit of a long story.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t think I’m going to get any more sleep anytime soon.” He nodded his head towards his back door, prompting Sage to follow him out onto the pool deck where they sat side by side at the pools edge. Sage sat crossed legged while Michael dipped his feet in the pool, leaning back on the palms of his hands.

Sage told him about what went down after they left Casey’s Diner and the almost catastrophe that ensued. Michael could only feign disapproval to mask the humor he felt, and Sage had to bite back a small smile once and awhile, kicking herself for feeling so warm inside when she was around him. Eventually they just ended up in a comfortable silence, Sage tracing her finger along the pattern of the patio while Michael looked on fondly. When almost half an hour went by, and Sage’s eyes started to droop, Michael gave her shoulder a squeeze for a few moments before standing up.

“You can have the guest bedroom, if you want.” He told her.

Sage looked up at him, giving him a small smile at the unexpected gesture. “Thanks, Michael. Goodnight.”

“Get some rest, Sage. Goodnight.” He said before parting.

Sage continued to sit there for a few more minutes, feeling a strange contentedness bubble in her chest, a small smile never leaving her lips. She could hear the door open behind her and feel a presence at her side before looking up to see Aubrey. She sat down beside Sage, dipping her feet into the pool just as Michael had done, and gave her a bump with her shoulder.

“So,” Aubrey paused. “Michael, huh?”

Sage rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help the tinge of pink that flooded her cheeks. Aubrey returned it with a cheeky grin.

Sage pushed her into the pool without so much as a word.


	4. Pool Investment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sage didn't think this was how Aubrey planned for them to "beat the heat."

Sage didn’t _really_ mind the drive to Sandy Shores, especially when it gave her an opportunity to be preoccupied with the wind whipping against her body rather than the worries bouncing inside her head. She often took the Great Ocean Highway up the coast of Los Santos until she hit Route 66 to take her into the desert; The road was a long expanse of palm trees and sparkling water that gradually faded into sparse bushes and fields of cacti the closer she drove inland. She always felt liberated driving so far from her tiny apartment in Little Seoul, as if she was once again escaping all of the corruption this sorry world had to offer. 

It took her a while to admit it, but the more time she spent in the arid town in which Aubrey resided, the more her fondness for it grew. She liked how quiet it was in comparison to the city; It was a place she could actually hear her thoughts and she was starting to realize that that wasn’t such a bad thing. The air was warm and dry that day as she hurried to Aubrey’s home and she was pushing 80, trying to make it to the desert before sunset. She was promised a beer, a swim, and good company so Sage couldn’t really complain if she was late to her meeting in the morning with Michael. 

Sage was more than ready to cool off in a nice pool of water as she approached Sandy Shores, her shorts and tank top doing nothing to keep her cool despite the wind sweeping against her bare thighs as she pulled closer to her best friend’s home. It was a little rough around the edges, much like Sage’s apartment back in Los Santos, but it had character. Aubrey had painted the exterior a peachy tan and Sage had helped her pick out some hanging plants that would survive the difficult climate to give a little life to her rickety porch. You could say it was a bit of a fixer-upper, but they both saw the potential. 

Sage turned down Aubrey’s street, the sun a burnt orange above head with undertones of pink catching the Alamo Sea below on fire; That alone made the trip entirely worth it as Sage slowed her pace to enjoy the view before her. She was practically walking her bike the rest of the way towards Aubrey’s, soaking up the last heat of the day and wondering if her times here were starting to give her a bit of a tan. She thought maybe the pool investment would help with that. 

Aubrey’s house was coming into sight and Sage could hear the low drones of Rebel Radio. She pulled up past her neighbor, Jewel, a self-proclaimed psychic who Sage could swear was a scam artist, but Aubrey promised she accurately predicted what their next mission was going to be. Sage called it conspiracy. 

As Sage pulled up to Aubrey, she could see her head of blonde sticking up past her small picket fence and the closer she got the more she could see of what she was doing. She opened the visor on her helmet and tried to squint through the setting sun as she gave her kickstand shove. Swinging her leg over her bike, Sage pulled off her helmet completely and stepped closer to the edge of the fence, her face falling the minute she figured out just what Aubrey meant by swimming. 

Sage couldn’t even look disappointed as she fought to keep her eyes from rolling into the back of her head. “I really should come to expect this out of you, you know.” 

Clad in a yellow bikini that clashed with her sunkissed skin, Aubrey sat in a lime green kiddie pool, her long legs just barely fitting. Her arms were adorned with floaties as if she could possibly drown in the small puddle, a case of beers dunked in the bottom of it, and one already in her hand. The garden hose was slung over the edge, creating a stream of water that did look refreshing if it weren’t being poured into a four by four foot circle. 

Aubrey just had a pleased grin on her face, tipping her beer towards Sage in greeting. 

“You’re a little shit, you know that?” Sage asked, no real venom to her voice. “Making me drive all the way out here for this.” She muttered, mostly to herself. 

Aubrey’s face dropped in mock offence. “What, you don’t think this is relaxing?”

Sage sighed and stepped over the short fence, not bothering to unlatch it. She stripped herself of her shorts and tank top to reveal her black swimsuit and stepped into the small patch of grass that Aubrey had just barely got to grow. 

“Scoot.” Sage said, making to step into the pool when Aubrey halted her. 

“Wait,” She exclaimed, “Lift up your foot.” Sage complied as she sprayed down her feet before she stepped in. “I don’t need you contaminating my pool.”

Sage snorted. “If you could call it that.”

“I don’t have to share my beer with you.” 

“Oh, after this display, you bet your ass you do.” Sage laughed, sinking back into the cool water that barely cover her stomach and grabbing one from the case. 

They stayed like that until the sun was just barely visible over the edge of the sand and in its place arrived one of the fullest moons Sage had ever witnessed. Their pack of beer was nearly gone now, the water keeping it chilled as they were now more than a bit tipsy. 

“This pool,” Sage drawled, tipping her head over the edge so she could see the stars and the grass prickling the back of her head, “Not a bad investment.”

“Cheers to that.” Aubrey replied, trying to take a sip from her empty bottle.

**Author's Note:**

> If you want more information about our ocs or the story itself, my tumblr is itsthelastofus and the owner of Aubrey's character is letsgetonwithit


End file.
